Identification of an object on a touch-sensitive surface

ABSTRACT

Examples disclosed herein describe, among other things, a computing system. The computing system may include, for example, a touch-sensitive surface to obtain a capacitive signature representing an object disposed on the touch-sensitive surface, and a camera to obtain supplemental data representing the object. The system may also include an identification engine to obtain, based at least on the capacitive signature, identification data associated with the object, and to obtain, based at least on the supplemental data, at least one characteristic of the object.

BACKGROUND

Many computing systems today include at least one display and at leastone input device. Example input devices include a mouse, a keyboard, atouch-sensitive surface capable of detecting physical objects that comeinto contact therewith, and the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following detailed description references the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an example computing systemcomprising an identification engine;

FIG. 2 is another schematic perspective view of the example computingsystem of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the example computing system of FIG.1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic front view of the example computing system of FIG.1;

FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of the example computing system of FIG.1 during an example operation;

FIG. 6 is a schematic front view of the example computing system of FIG.1 during another example operation;

FIG. 7 is a schematic side view of the example computing system of FIG.1 illustrating an example of image capturing;

FIG. 8 is another schematic perspective view of he example computingsystem of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9A illustrates example capacitive patterns of an object;

FIG. 9B illustrates an example capacitance map of a touch-sensitivesurface of the example computing system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an example computing device of the examplecomputing system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 11 illustrates an example portion of a memory;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of another example computing device of theexample computing system of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of an example method for obtaining identificationdata associated with an object.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

User experience of a user of a computing system may be enhanced byallowing the user to use, in conjunction with an application running onthe computing system, movable physical objects such as game pieces,dice, or any other types of two-dimensional or three-dimensionalphysical objects. In such systems, it may be difficult for the computingsystem to identify the objects and determine their characteristics.

In some examples described herein, identification data and/orcharacteristics associated with one or more objects disposed on atouch-sensitive surface may be obtained. As described in more detailbelow, the identification data and the characteristics may be obtainedbased on a capacitive signature representing the object and/or based onsupplemental data representing the object, such as image data, infrareddata, depth data, and so forth. In some examples, the obtainedidentification data and/or characteristics associated with the objectmay be provided to and used by the software application to enhance userexperience and enable additional features and functionalities.

In some examples described herein, a computing system is described. Thecomputing system may include, for example, a touch-sensitive surface toobtain a capacitive signature representing an object disposed on thetouch-sensitive surface, and a camera to obtain supplemental datarepresenting the object. The system may also include an identificationengine to obtain, based at least on the capacitive signature,identification data associated with the object, and to obtain, based atleast on the supplemental data, at least one characteristic of theobject.

Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1-7 are schematic views of anexample computing system 100 comprising an identification engine 170. Inthe examples of FIGS. 1-7, system 100 may include a support structure110, a computing device 150, a projector assembly 184, and atouch-sensitive surface 200. System 100 may also include a sensor bundle164 pointed at touch-sensitive surface to capture one or more imagesrepresenting an object disposed on touch sensitive surface 200.Computing device 150 may include an identification engine 170 toidentify the object and/or obtain the object's characteristics.

Computing device 150 may comprise any suitable computing devicecomplying with the principles disclosed herein. As used herein, a‘computing device’ may comprise an electronic display device, asmartphone, a tablet, a chip set, an ail-in-one computer (e.g., a devicecomprising a display device that also houses processing resource(s) ofthe computer), a desktop, computer, a notebook computer, workstation,server, any other processing device or equipment, or a combinationthereof. In this example, device 150 is an all-in-one computer having acentral axis or center line 155, first or top side 150A, a second orbottom side 150B axially opposite the top side 150A, a front side 150Cextending axially between sides 150A and 1508, a rear side 150D alsoextending axially between sides 150A and 1508 and generally radiallyopposite front side 150C. A display 152 is disposed along front side150C and defines a viewing surface of computing system 100 to displayimages for viewing by a user of system 100. In examples describedherein, a display may include components of any technology suitable fordisplaying images, video, or the like.

In some examples, display 152 may be a touch-sensitive display. Inexamples described herein, a touch-sensitive display may include, forexample, any suitable technology (e.g., components) for displayingimages, video, or the like, and may include any suitable technology(e.g., components) for detecting physical contact (e.g., touch input),such as, for example, a resistive, capacitive, surface acoustic wave,infrared (IR), strain gauge, optical imaging, acoustic pulserecognition, dispersive signal sensing, or in-cell system, or the like.In examples described herein, display 152 may be referred to as atouch-sensitive display 152. Device 150 may further include a camera154, which may be a web camera, for example. In some examples, camera154 may capture images of a user positioned in front of display 152. Insome examples, device 150 may also include a microphone or other deviceto receive sound input (e.g., voice input from a user).

In the example of FIGS. 1-7, support structure 110 includes a base 120,an upright, member 140, and a top 160. Base 120 includes a first orfront end 120A, and a second or rear end 1208. Base 120 may engage witha support surface 15 to support the weight of at least a portion of thecomponents of system 100 (e.g., member 140, unit 180, device 150, top160, etc.). In some examples, base 120 may engage with support surface15 in this manner when system 100 is configured for operation. In theexample of FIGS. 1-7, front end 120A of base 120 includes a raisedportion 122 that may be disposed above and separated from supportsurface 15 (creating a space or clearance between portion 122 andsurface 15) when base 120 is disposed on support surface 15 asillustrated in FIG. 2, for example. In such examples, a portion of aside of touch-sensitive surface 200 may be disposed in (e.g., receivedwithin) the space formed between portion 122 and surface 15. In suchexamples, piecing a portion of surface 200 within the space created byportion 122 and surface 15 may assist with the proper alignment ofsurface 200. In other examples, other suitable methods or devices may beused to assist with the alignment of surface 200.

Upright member 140 includes a first or upper end 140A, a second or lowerend 140B opposite the upper end 140A, a first or front side 140Cextending between the ends 140A and 140B, and a second or rear side 140Dopposite the front side 140C and also extending between the ends 140Aand 140B. Lower end 140B of member 140 is coupled to rear end 120B ofbase 120, such that member 140 extends substantially upward from supportsurface 15.

Top 160 includes a first or proximate end 160A, a second or distal end160B opposite the proximate end 160A, a top surface 160C extendingbetween ends 160A and 160B, and a bottom surface 160D opposite the topsurface 160C and also extending between ends 160A and 160B. Proximateend 160A of top 160 is coupled to upper end 140A of upright member 140such that distal end 160B extends outward from upper end 140A of uprightmember 140. As such, in the example shown in FIG. 2, top 160 issupported at end 160A (and not at end 160B), and may be referred toherein as a cantilevered top In some examples, base 120, member 140, andtop 160 may be monolithically formed. In other examples, two or more ofbase 120, member 140, and top 160 may be formed of separate pieces(i.e., not monolithically formed).

Touch-sensitive surface 200 may include a central axis or centerline205, a first or front side 200A, and a second or rear side 200B axiallyopposite the front side 200A. Touch-sensitive surface 200 may compriseany suitable technology for detecting physical contact with surface 200by an object such as hand or other objects (e.g., objects containingconductive material) whose placement on or close to surface 200 maycause a detectible change in capacitance or other parameters of surface200. For example, touch-sensitive surface 200 may comprise any suitabletechnology for detecting (and in some examples tracking) one or multipletouch inputs by a user to enable the user to interact, via such touchinput, with software being executed by device 150 or another computingdevice. As another example, touch-sensitive surface 200 may comprise anysuitable technology for detecting (and in some examples tracking) one ormultiple objects disposed on touch-sensitive surface 200 to enable theuser to interact, via placement, rotation, movement, and othermanipulations of such object(s), with software being executed by device150 or another computing device.

In examples described herein, touch-sensitive surface 200 may be anysuitable touch-sensitive planar (or substantially planar) object, suchas a touch-sensitive mat, tabletop, sheet, etc. In some examples,touch-sensitive surface 200 may be disposed horizontally (orapproximately or substantially horizontally). For example, surface 200may be disposed on support surface 15, which may be horizontal (orapproximately or substantially horizontal).

In some examples, all or substantially all of surface 200 may be capableof detecting touch input as described above. In other examples, lessthan all of surface 200 may be capable of detecting touch input asdescribed above. For example, surface 200 may comprise a touch-sensitiveregion 202, extending over less than all of surface 200, wherein region202 is capable of detecting touch input as described above. In otherexamples, region 202 may extend over substantially all of surface 200(e.g., may be substantially coterminous with surface 200). Region 202may be substantially aligned with axis 205.

As described above, surface 200 may be aligned with base 120 ofstructure 110 to assist with proper alignment of surface 200 (e.g., atleast during operation of system 100). In the example of FIGS. 1-7, rearside 200E of surface 200 may be disposed between raised portion 122 ofbase 120 and support surface 15, such that rear end 200B is aligned withfront side 120A of base 120 to assist with proper overall alignment ofsurface 200 (and particularly proper alignment of region 202) with othercomponents of system 100. In some examples, surface 200 may be alignedwith device 150 such that the center line 155 of device 150 issubstantially aligned with center line 205 of surface 200. In otherexamples, surface 200 may be differently aligned with device 150.

In some examples, surface 200 and device 150 may be communicativelyconnected (e.g., electrically coupled) to one another such that userinputs received by surface 200 may be, communicated to device 150.Surface 200 and device 150 may communicate with one another via anysuitable wired or wireless communication technology or mechanism, suchas, for example, WI-FI, BLUETOOTH, ultrasonic technology, electricalcables, electrical leads, electrical conductors, electricalspring-loaded pogo pins with magnetic holding force, or the like, or acombination thereof. In the example of FIGS. 1-7, exposed electricalcontacts disposed on rear side 200B of surface 200 may engage withcorresponding electrical pogo-pin leads within portion 122 of base 120to communicate information (e.g., transfer signals) between device 150and surface 200 during operation of system 100. In such examples, theelectrical contacts may be held together by adjacent magnets (located inthe clearance between portion 122 of base 120 and surface 15) tomagnetically attract and hold (e.g., mechanically) a correspondingferrous and/or magnetic material disposed along rear side 2008 ofsurface 200.

Referring to FIG. 3, projector unit 180 comprises an outer housing 182,and a projector assembly 184 disposed within housing 182. Housing 182includes a first or upper end 182A, a second or lower end 1828 oppositethe upper end 182A, and an inner cavity 183. In the example of FIG. 3,housing 182 further includes a coupling or mounting member 186 to engagewith and support device 150 (e.g., at least during operation of system100). Member 186 may be any suitable mechanism or device for suspendingand supporting any suitable computing device 150 as described herein.For example, member 186 may comprise a hinge that includes an axis ofrotation such that device 150 may be rotated (e.g., by a user) about theaxis of rotation to attain a desired angle for viewing display 152. Insome examples, device 150 may permanently or semi-permanently attachedto housing 182 of unit 180. In some examples, housing 180 and device 150may be integrally or monolithically formed as a single unit.

Referring to FIG. 4, in some examples, when device 150 is suspended fromstructure 110 via mounting member 186 on housing 182, projector unit 180(i.e., both housing 182 and assembly 184) may be substantially hiddenbehind device 150 when system 100 is viewed from the front (i.e.,substantially facing display 152 disposed on front side 150C of device150). In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, when device 150 is suspended fromstructure 110 as described above, projector unit 160 (i.e., both housing182 and assembly 184) and any image projected thereby may besubstantially aligned or centered with respect to center line 155 ofdevice 150

Referring again to FIG. 3, projector assembly 184 is disposed withincavity 183 of housing 182, and includes a first or upper end 164A, asecond or lower end 184B opposite the upper end 184A. Upper end 184A isproximate upper end 182A of housing 182 while lower end 184B isproximate lower end 182B of housing 182. Projector assembly 184 maycomprise any suitable digital light projector assembly for receivingdata from a computing device (e.g., device 150) and projecting image(s)(e.g., out of upper end 184A) that correspond with that input data. Forexample, in some implementations, projector assembly 184 may comprise adigital light processing (DLP) projector or a liquid crystal on silicon(LCOS) projector which are advantageously compact and power efficientprojection engines capable of multiple display resolutions and sizes,such as, for example, standard XGA resolution (1024×768 pixels) with a4:3 aspect ratio, or standard WXGA resolution (1280×800 pixels) with a16:10 aspect ratio. Projector assembly 184 is further communicativelyconnected (e.g., electrically coupled) to device 150 in order to receivedata therefrom and to produce (e.g., project) light and image(s) fromend 184A based on the received data. Projector assembly 184 may becommunicatively connected to device 150 via any suitable type ofelectrical coupling, for example, or any other suitable communicationtechnology or mechanism described herein. In some examples, assembly 184may be communicatively connected to device 150 via electricalconductor(s), WI-FI, BLUETOOTH, an optical connection, an ultrasonicconnection, or a combination thereof. In the example of FIGS. 1-7,device 150 is communicatively connected to assembly 184 throughelectrical leads or conductors (e.g., as described above in relation tosurface 200 and base 120) disposed within mounting member 186 such that,when device 150 is suspended from structure 110 through member 186, theelectrical leads disposed within member 186 contact corresponding leadsor conductors disposed on device 150.

Referring still to FIG. 3, top 160 further includes a fold mirror 162and a sensor bundle 164. Mirror 162 includes a highly reflective surface162A that is disposed along bottom surface 160D of top 160 and ispositioned to reflect light, image(s), etc., projected from upper end184A of projector assembly 184 toward surface 200 during operationMirror 162 may comprise any suitable type of mirror or reflectivesurface. In the example of FIGS. 1-7, fold mirror 162 may comprise astandard front surface vacuum metalized aluminum coated glass mirrorthat acts to fold light emitted from assembly 184 down to surface 200.In other examples, mirror 162 may have a complex aspherical curvature toact as a reflective lens element to provide additional focusing power oroptical correction.

Sensor bundle 164 includes at least one sensor (e.g., camera, or othertype of sensor) to detect, measure, or otherwise acquire data based onthe state of (e.g., activities occurring in) a region between sensorbundle 164 and surface 200. The state of the region between sensorbundle 164 and surface 200 may include object(s) on and/or over surface200, or activities occurring on and/or near surface 200. In the exampleof FIG. 3, bundle 164 includes an RGB camera (or image sensor) 164A, anIR camera (or IR sensor) 164B, a depth camera (or depth sensor) 164C,and an ambient light sensor 164D. In examples described herein, a cameramay be referred to as a “sensor”.

In some examples, RGB camera 164A may be a camera to capture colorimages (e.g., at least one of still images and video). In some examples,RGB camera 164A may be a camera to capture images according to the RGBcolor model, which may be referred to herein as “RGB images”. It isappreciated, however, that in other examples, RGB camera 164A may be acamera to capture image according to other color models, such as YUV,YCbCr, RAW, and so forth. In some examples, RGB camera 164A may captureimages with relatively high resolution, such as a resolution on theorder of multiple megapixels (MPs), for example. As an example. RGBcamera 164A may capture color (e.g., RGB) images with a resolution of 14MPs. In other examples, RBG camera 164A may capture images with adifferent resolution. In some examples, RGB camera 164A may be pointedtoward surface 200 and may capture image(s) of surface 200, object(s)disposed between surface 200 and RGB camera 164A (e.g., on or abovesurface 200), or a combination thereof.

IR camera 164B may be a camera to detect intensity of IR light at aplurality of points in the field of view of the camera 164B. In examplesdescribed herein, IR camera 164B may operate in conjunction with do IRlight projector 166 (see FIG. 7) of system 100 to capture IR images. Insuch examples, each IR image may comprise a plurality of pixels eachrepresenting an intensity of IR light detected at a point represented bythe pixel. In some examples, top 160 of system 100 may include an IRlight projector 166 (see FIG. 7) to project IR light 167 toward surface200 and IR camera 164B may be pointed toward surface 200. In suchexamples, IR camera 164B may detect the intensity of IR light reflectedby surface 200, object(s) disposed between surface 200 and IR camera164B (e.g., on or above surface 200), or a combination thereof. In someexamples, IR camera 164B may exclusively detect IR light 167 projectedby IR light projector 166 (e.g., as reflected from surface 200,object(s), etc., or received directly).

Depth camera 164C may be a camera (sensor(s), etc.) to detect therespective distance(s) (or depth(s)) of portions of object(s) in thefield of view of depth camera 164C. As used herein, the data detected bya depth camera may be referred to herein as “distance” or “depth” data.In examples described herein, depth camera 164C may capture amulti-pixel depth image (e.g., a depth map), wherein the data of eachpixel represents the distance or depth (measured from camera 164C) of aportion of an object at a point represented by the pixel. Depth camera164E may be implemented using any suitable technology, such asstereovision camera(s), a single IR camera sensor with a uniform floodof IR light, a dual IR camera sensor with a uniform flood of IR light,structured light depth sensor technology, time-of-flight (TOF) depthsensor technology, or a combination thereof. In some examples, depthsensor 164C may indicate when an object (e.g., a three-dimensionalobject) is on surface 200. In some examples, depth sensor 1640 maydetect at least one of the presence, shape, contours, motion, and therespective distance(s) of an object (or portions thereof) placed onsurface 200.

Ambient light sensor 164D may be arranged to measure the intensity oflight in the environment surrounding system 100. In some examples,system 100 may use the measurements of sensor 164D to adjust othercomponents of system 100, such as, for example, exposure settings ofsensors or cameras of system 100 (e.g., cameras 164A-164C), theintensity of the light emitted from light sources of system 100 (e.g.,projector assembly 184, display 152, etc.), or the like.

In some examples, sensor bundle 164 may omit at least one of sensors164A-164D. In other examples, sensor bundle 164 may comprise othercamera(s), sensor(s), or the like in addition to sensors 164A-164D, orin lieu of at least one of sensors 164A-164D. For example, sensor bundle164 may include a user interface sensor comprising any suitabledevice(s) (e.g., sensor(s), camera(s)) for tracking a user input devicesuch as, for example, a hand, stylus, pointing device, etc. In someexamples, the user interface sensor may include a pair of cameras whichare arranged to stereoscopically track the location of a user inputdevice (e.g., a stylus) as it is moved by a user about the surface 200(e.g., about region 202 of surface 200). In other examples, the userinterface sensor may additionally or alternatively include IR camera(s)or sensor(s) arranged to detect infrared light that is either emitted orreflected by a user input device. In some examples, sensor bundle 164may include a gesture camera to detect the performance of predefinedgestures by object(s) (e.g., hands, etc.). In some examples, the gesturecamera may comprise a depth camera and additional functionality todetect, track, etc., different types of motion over time.

In examples described herein, each of sensors 164A-164D of bundle 164 iscommunicatively connected (e.g., coupled) to, device 150 such that datagenerated within bundle 164 (e.g., images captured by the cameras) maybe provided to device 150, and device 150 may provide commands to thesensor(s) and camera(s) of sensor bundle 164. Sensors 164A-164D ofbundle 164 may be communicatively connected to device 150 via anysuitable wired or wireless communication technology or mechanism,examples of which are described above. In the example of FIG. 1-7,electrical conductors may be routed from bundle 164, through top 160,upright member 140, and projector unit 180 and into device 150 throughleads that are disposed within mounting member 186 (as described above).

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, during operation of system 100, projectorassembly 184 may project visible right 187 to reflect off of mirror 162towards surface 200 to thereby display visible image(s) on>a projectordisplay space 188 of surface 200. In the example of FIGS. 5-6, space 188may be substantially rectangular, having a length 188L and a width 188W.In some examples, length 188L may be approximately 16 inches, whilewidth 188W may be approximately 12 inches. In other examples, length188L and width 188W may have different values.

In some examples, cameras of sensor bundle 164 (e.g., cameras 164A-164C)are arranged within system 100 such that the field of view of each ofthe cameras includes a space 168 of surface 200 that may overlap withsome or all of display space 188, or may be coterminous with displayspace 188. In examples described herein, the field of view of thecameras of sensor bundle 164 (e.g., cameras 164A-164C) may be said toinclude space 168, though at times surface 200 may be at least partiallyoccluded by object(s) on or over surface 200. In such examples, theobject(s) on or over surface 200 may be in the field of view of at leastone of cameras 164A-164C. In such examples, sensors, of sensor bundle164 may acquire data based on the state of (e.g., activities occurringin, object(s) disposed in) a region between sensor bundle 164 and space168 of surface 200. In some examples, both space 188 and space 168coincide or correspond with region 202 of surface 200 such thatfunctionalities of touch-sensitive region 202, projector assembly 184,and sensor bundle 164 are all performed in relation to the same definedarea. A field of view 165 of the cameras of sensor bundle 164 (e.g.,cameras 164A-164C) is schematically illustrated in FIG. 7. In someexamples, each of the cameras of sensor bundle 164 (e.g., cameras164A-164C) may have a slightly different field of view.

Referring now to FIGS. 5-7, device 150 may direct, projector assembly184 to project image(s) onto surface 200 (e.g., onto region 202). Device150 may also display image(s) on display 152 (which may be the same asor different than the image(s) projected onto region 202 by projectorassembly 184). The image(s) projected by assembly 184 may compriseinformation and/or images produced by software being executed by device150. In some examples, a user may interact with the image(s) projectedon surface 200 and displayed on display 152 by physically engagingtouch-sensitive surface 200 in any suitable manner, such as with user'shand 35 (e.g., via touches, taps, gestures, or other touch input), witha stylus 25, or via any other suitable user input device(s). Asdescribed above, touch-sensitive surface 200 may detect such interactionvia physical engagement with surface 200. Also, in some examples,projector assembly 184 may also project image(s) (at least partially) onobjects disposed over surface 200 (e.g., hand 35, as shown in FIG. 5).

As an example, when a user interacts with touch-sensitive surface 200via physical contact, surface 200 may generate touch input informationand>provide it to device 150 through any suitable connection (examplesof which are described above). In some examples, the OS may pass thereceived touch input to another application (e.g., program, etc.)executing on device 150. In response, the executing OS or applicationmay alter image(s) projected by projector assembly 184, image(s)displayed on display 152, or a combination thereof. As used herein, an“application”, “computer application”, or “service” is a collection ofmachine-readable instructions that are executable by a processingresource. In some examples, a user may similarly interact with image(s)displayed on display 152 (which may be a touch-sensitive display), orany other input device of device 150 (e.g., a keyboard, mouse, etc.).

In some examples, sensors (e.g., cameras) of sensor bundle 164 may alsogenerate system input which may be provided to device 150 for furtherprocessing. For example, system 100 may utilize camera(s) of bundle 164to detect at least one of the presence and location of a user's hand 35(or a stylus 25, as shown in FIG. 5), and provide system inputinformation representing the detected information to device 150. Theprovided system input information may be passed to at least one of an OSand application being executed by device 150, and may alter image(s)displayed by system 100, as described above in relation to touch input.For example, bundle 164 may include a pair of cameras or sensors thatare arranged to perform stereoscopic stylus tracking (e.g., of stylus25). In other examples, stylus 25 includes a tip 26 coated with aninfrared retro-reflective coating (e.g., paint) such that tip 26 mayserve as an infrared retro-reflector. In such examples, bundle 164 mayinclude IR camera(s) (or sensor(s)), as described above, which detect IRlight that is reflected off tip 26 to enable device 150 to track thelocation of tip 26 as it moves across region 202. In some examples,surface 200 (with image(s) projected on it by assembly 184) may serve asa second or alternative touch-sensitive display within system 100. Inaddition, detection of interaction with image(s) displayed on surface200 may be enhanced through use of sensors of sensor bundle 164 asdescribed above.

In some examples, system 100 may capture two-dimensional (2D) image(s)or create a three-dimensional (3D) scan of a physical object such thatan image of the object may then be projected onto surface 200 forfurther use and manipulation thereof. For example, as shown in FIG. 6,an object 40 may be placed on surface 200 such that sensors of bundle164 (e.g., at least one of cameras 164A-164C) may detect at least one ofthe location, dimensions, and color of object 40, to enhance the 2Dimage(s) or create the 3D scan thereof. In such examples, theinformation, gathered by the sensors of bundle 164 may be provided todevice 150 (e.g., an OS, application, service, etc., of device 150), asdescribed above. In some examples, after receiving the information,device 150 (e.g., the OS, application, service, etc.) may directprojector assembly 184 to project an image of object 40 onto surface200. Object 40 may be, for example, a game piece, a die, a smartphone, abook, a mug, a pen, a document, a photo, or any other two-dimensional orthree-dimensional physical object. Object 40 may also be, for example, awedge-shaped object having at least one side that faces the user (andaway from display 152) and that may be projected upon, for example, byprojector assembly 184.

In some examples, as described above, the user may interact with asoftware application being executed by device 150 using one or moreobjects disposed on touch-sensitive surface 200. For example, asillustrated in FIG. 8, computer system 100 may project (e.g., usingprojector assembly 184) an image representing a chess board ontotouch-sensitive region 202 of touch-sensitive surface 200, and the usermay place objects 40 a, 40 b, and 40 c corresponding to different chesspieces on surface 200, using the projected image as a guide for thepossible locations at which to place the objects,

As described above, touch-sensitive surface 200 may detect one or moreobjects that come in contact therewith, in some examples, surface 200(or computing device 150) may generate a capacitance map (e.g., atwo-dimensional array), in which each value may correspond to thedetected capacitance level at a particular location (e.g., pixel) onsurface 200. In some examples, when an object is placed on surface 200,it may cause a change in capacitance levels measured at the area ofsurface 200 that is substantially under the object. The measuredcapacitance levels may reflect the shape and the materials of theobject, especially the bottom portion surface of the object, e.g., theportion or surface that touches surface 200. In some examples, highconductivity materials may correspond to higher measured capacitancelevels than low conductivity materials. Accordingly, in some examples,each object placed on surface 200 may be represented by its owncapacitive signature on the capacitance map, where the signature maycorrespond to the shape and materials of the bottom portion or surfaceof the object.

In some examples, an object may include a capacitive pattern, which maybe a part of the object, or attached to, embedded in, or otherwisecoupled to object (e.g., to the object's bottom portion). In someexamples, the capacitive pattern may be a high-conductivity (e.g.,metal) coating being applied to the bottom surface of the object. Inother examples, the capacitive pattern may be a material layerpermanently or detachably coupled to the bottom surface of the object,such as a thin label adhesively attached to the bottom surface. Thelayer may include at least two areas having different degrees ofconductivity.

For example, FIG. 9A illustrates two example capacitive patterns 401 aand 401 b. In this example, the bottom surfaces are circular, althoughit is appreciated that the object's bottom surface can be of any shape.In this example, surfaces 401 a and 401 b have first areas 403 andsecond areas 402, where second areas 402 include materials having higherconductivity (e.g., metal) than materials included in first areas 403(e.g., paper, wood, plastic, etc.) In some examples, first area 403 maybe the bottom surface of the object, and second areas 402 may be coatedonto or adhesively coupled to the bottom surface. In other examples,first area 403 and second areas 402 may be portions of the same label,or of different labels attached to each other. In some examples, anobject may have more than one surface with a capacitive signature, e.g.,if the object can be placed on two or more of its surfaces. For example,a cube-shaped object (e.g., a die) may have six different sides, whereeach side may have a different capacitive pattern (e.g., each patternmay correspond to the pattern of dots on the die).

In some examples, a plurality of capacitive patterns may be designedsuch that each capacitive pattern is distinct from other capacitivepatterns irrespective of the rotation of the rotation or orientation ofthe capacitive pattern. Some patterns (e.g., 401 b) may have arotational symmetry of order 1, meaning that rotating the pattern by acertain degree (other than a multiple of 360 degrees) will result in adifferent pattern. For such patterns, computing system 100 may determinethe degree of rotation and the orientation of the pattern relative tosurface 200 based on the capacitive signature measured by surface 200.Other patterns (e.g., 401 a) may have a rotational symmetry of orderN>1, meaning that rotating the pattern around its center by 360/Ndegrees will result in the same pattern. For such patterns, computingsystem 100 may determine the degree of rotation up to a certain degree(e.g., 60 degrees).

In some examples, objects of the same type, class, or category may havethe same capacitive pattern and objects of different types may havedifferent capacitive patterns selected, for example, from a plurality ofcapacitive patterns. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9B,rooks 40 a and 40 b may have capacitive pattern 401 a, and knight 40 cmay have capacitive pattern 401 b. As described below, this may allowdistinguishing between the different types, classes, or categories ofobjects based on their capacitive patterns, as represented by theircapacitive signatures measured by surface 200.

Referring now to FIG. 9B in conjunction with FIG. 8 and FIG. 9A, FIG. 8Billustrates a capacitance map 415 generated as a result of placingobjects 40 a, 40 b, and 40 c on surface 200 as shown in the example ofFIG. 8. Capacitance map 415 includes an area 417 corresponding totouch-sensitive region 202 onto which the chess board is projected.Capacitance map 415 may include a capacitive signature 420 acorresponding to capacitive pattern 401 a of object 40 a; a capacitivesignature 420 b corresponding to capacitive pattern 401 a of object 40b; and an example capacitive signature 420 c corresponding to capacitivepattern 401 b of object 40 c.

As shown in FIG. 9B, the capacitive signatures may include firstportions 422 corresponding to the first areas 402 of the correspondingobjects, and second portions 423 corresponding to the second areas 403of the corresponding objects. Because, as described above, first areas402 may include materials having higher conductivity (e.g., metal),while second areas 403 may include materials having lower conductivity(e.g., paper, wood, plastic, etc.), first portions 422 may becharacterized by higher measured capacitance values than second portions423. As also illustrated in FIG. 9B, capacitive signatures 420 a, 420 b,and 420 c may reflect the rotation and orientation of their respectiveobjects 40 a, 40 b, and 40 c.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a portion of computing system 100 of FIG.1 comprising identification engine 170. In particular, FIG. 10illustrates an example of computing device 150 that comprisesidentification engine 170 and a memory 325, and is communicativelyconnected to at least one camera (e.g., camera 164A) of sensor bundle164 (as described above) and touch-sensitive surface 200, as describedabove. Although not shown in FIG. 10, computing device 150 may also becommunicatively connected to other components of system 100, asdescribed above,

Computing device 150 (or any other computing device implementingidentification engine 170) may include at least one processing resource.In examples described herein, a processing resource may include, forexample, one processor or multiple processors included in a singlecomputing device or distributed across multiple computing devices. Asused herein, a “processor” may be at least one of a central processingunit (CPU), a semiconductor-based microprocessor, a graphics processingunit (GPU), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) configured toretrieve and execute instructions, other electronic circuitry suitablefor the retrieval and execution instructions stored on amachine-readable storage medium, or a combination thereof.

As noted above, in the example of FIG. 10, computing device 150comprises identification engine 170. In other examples, identificationengine 170 may comprise additional engine(s). In examples describedherein, any engine(s) of computing device 150 (e.g., engine 170) may beany combination of hardware and programming to implement thefunctionalities of the respective engine. Such combinations of hardwareand programming may be implemented in a number of different ways. Forexample, the programming may be processor executable instructions storedon a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium (e.g., memory 325)and the hardware may include a processing resource to execute thoseinstructions. In such examples, the machine-readable storage medium maystore instructions that, when executed by the processing resource,implement the engines. The machine-readable storage medium storing theinstructions may be integrated in the same computing device (e.g.,device 150) as the processing resource to execute the instructions, orthe machine-readable storage medium may be separate from but accessibleto the computing device and the processing resource. The processingresource may comprise one processor or multiple processors included in asingle computing device or distributed across multiple computingdevices.

In some examples, the instructions can be part of an installationpackage that, when installed, can be executed by the processing resourceto implement the engines of system 100. In such examples, themachine-readable storage medium may be a portable medium, such as acompact disc, DVD, or flash drive, or a memory maintained by a serverfrom which the installation package can be downloaded and installed. Inother examples, the instructions may be part of an application orapplications already installed on a computing device including theprocessing resource (e.g., device 150). In such examples, themachine-readable storage medium may include memory such as a hard drive,solid state drive, or the like.

As used herein, a “machine-readable storage medium” may be anyelectronic, magnetic, optical, or other physical storage apparatus tocontain or store information such as executable instructions, data, andthe like. For example, any machine-readable storage medium describedherein may be any of a storage drive (e.g., a hard drive), flash memory,Random Access Memory (RAM), any type of storage disc (e.g., a compactdisc, a DVD, etc.), and the like, or a combination thereof. Further, anymachine-readable storage medium described herein may be non-transitory.

Referring still to FIG. 10, identification engine 170 may obtain acapacitive signature of at least one object disposed on surface 200. Asdescribed above, the capacitive signature may be a part of a capacitancemap, which may be received (e.g., in a wired or wireless manner) fromsurface 200 or generated by identification engine 170 based on signalsreceived from surface 200. As also described above, the capacitivesignature may correspond to or be associated with a capacitive patternincluded in or coupled to the object disposed on surface 200, where thecapacitive pattern may include at least a first area and a second area,where the areas may be characterized by different conductivities.

Based at least on the obtained capacitive signature of the object,identification engine 170 may obtain identification data associated withthe object. The identification data may include information describing,for example, the object's type, class, category, sub-category, name,serial number, model number, manufacturer name, or any other informationassociated with the object. In some examples, engine 170 may obtainidentification data by accessing a memory, such as memory 325. In someexamples, memory 325 may be stored on computing device 150. In otherexamples, memory 325 may be stored on another computing device that maybe accessed by computing device 150 (e.g., via a network such as theInternet).

In some examples, memory 325 may include identification informationassociated with a plurality of objects, where the information may bearranged in any suitable manner. For example, memory 325 may include aplurality of records, where each record may be associated with aparticular object (e.g., white rook object 40 b) or a class or categoryto which the object belongs (e.g., a white rook, a rook, a white chesspiece, a game piece of a particular game, etc.). Furthermore, inexamples where an object may have more than one surface with acapacitive signature, each record may be associated with, a particularsurface of an object, as illustrated in the example of FIG. 11. In someexamples, each record may also be associated with a software application(e.g., by specifying a unique application identifier). This may allow todistinguish between similar pieces associated with differentapplications.

In some examples, the record may also include a capacitive signatureassociated with the object. The capacitive signature may be generatedand published by the manufacturer of the object or the developer of thesoftware application, or generated by the user (e.g., by placing theobject on surface 200 and storing the measured signature). In someexamples, in order to improve performance and/or save storage space, therecord may not store the entire capacitive signature; instead, therecord may store a representative fingerprint of the capacitivesignature, which may be, for example, a numerical value generated basedon the capacitive signature, a scaled-down image (e.g., a thumbnail) ofthe capacitive signature, and the like.

In some examples, each record in memory 325 may include a uniquecapacitive signature or fingerprint (hereinafter sometimes collectivelyreferred to as a “capacitive signature” for brevity). In other examples,the signatures or fingerprints may not be unique in the context of theentire memory 325, but they may be unique within the context of anyrecords associated with a particular software application.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example portion of memory 325 having records(indicated as rows), where each record is associated with an object or asurface of an object, and includes identification data that identifiesat least the software application (e.g., “ABC Chess” and “MonopolyClassic”), object type (e.g., “Rook,” “Knight,” “Queen,” “Die—side 1,”and “Die—side 2”), and the object's signature (fingerprint). Asdescribed above, each signature or fingerprint may be unique across theentire memory or, as illustrated in the example of FIG. 11, it may beunique across all entries associated with the same software application(e.g., fingerprint 0x1A88F402 is associated with two different objectsbut those objects are associated with different software applications).

Referring back to FIG. 10, as described above, identification engine 170may obtain identification data associated with the object based at leaston the capacitive signature of the object obtained from surface 200(hereinafter, “measured signature”). In some examples, engine 170obtains the identification data by finding, within memory 325, a recordassociated with the same signature (hereinafter, “stored signature”) asthe measured signature. If the records store fingerprints (hereinafter,“stored fingerprints”) of the signatures and not the entire signatures,engine 170 may first generate a fingerprint of the measured signature(hereinafter, “measured fingerprint”) using the same method as thestored fingerprints were generated, and find the record that has thesame stored fingerprint as the measured fingerprint.

In some examples, the fingerprints may be generated based on thesignatures using a method that is independent of the signature'srotation or orientation. For example, the fingerprint may be a numericvalue calculated based on a number of portions 422, their shapes,distances between them, and any other parameters that are independent ofthe absolute locations of portions 422 within capacitive signatures 420.In these cases, engine 170 may find a stored fingerprint that matchesthe measured fingerprint.

In other examples, however, the generated fingerprints may depend on thesignatures' orientation. In these examples, engine 170 may generateseveral measured fingerprints, each corresponding to a differentorientation of the signature, and try to find a stored fingerprint thatmatches at least one of the generated measured fingerprints. Similarlyif memory 325 stores entire capacitive signatures as opposed to theirsignatures, engine 170 may generate several versions of measuredsignature, each version corresponding to a different orientation of thesignature. Engine 170 may then find a stored signature that matches atleast one of the signatures. This may also allow engine 170 to determinethe degree of rotation of the object relative to the default rotation ofthe stored signature. To determine whether a stored signature matches ameasured signature (or any rotated versions thereof), engine 170 maycompare the signatures using a pixel-to-pixel image comparison of theentire signatures or parts thereof, or using any other suitable method.

As described above, in some examples, there may be two or more storedsignatures or fingerprints within memory 325 that match a given measuredsignature. In such examples, engine 170 may find the record that has astored signature matching the measured signature and that is alsoassociated (e.g., via a software application identifier) with aparticular software application, e.g., with the software applicationthat is currently running on computing device 150. For example, if themeasured fingerprint is 0x1A88F402, engine 170 may find the recordassociated with the object “Rook” if computing device 150 is executing asoftware application identified as “ABC Chess.” If, however, computingdevice 150 is executing a software application identified as “MonopolyClassic,” engine 170 may find the record associated with the object“Die—side 1,” In some examples, instead of finding the record based onan application that is being executed on computing device 150, engine170 finds the record based on an application that is being executed andis currently active (e.g., whose window is currently in focus, or, withwhom the user had the last interaction). After finding the record,engine 170 may obtain from the record identification data associatedwith the object.

As described above, based on the obtained identification data, engine170 may identify (e.g., uniquely) the object, the type of the object,one or more categories or subcategories to which the object belongs, orany other identification information. While the above examples describeidentifying a single object, it is appreciated that the any number ofobjects simultaneously disposed on surface 200 may be similarlyidentified. As mentioned above, the capacitive signature (e.g., inconjunction with the capacitance map) may be used by engine 170 not onlyfor identifying the object but also, for example, for determiningobject's characteristics, such as the object's location on surface 200,the object's orientation, and the like.

In some examples, engine 170 may obtain supplemental data from one ormore cameras of sensor bundle 164. Supplemental data may include, forexample, image data representing the object, where the image data may beobtained from RGB camera 164A, from camera 154, or from any other camerasuitable for capturing image data representing the object. Supplementaldata may also include infrared data representing the object, where theinfrared data may being obtained, for example, from IR camera 164 b orfrom any other camera suitable for capturing infrared data representingthe object. Supplemental data may also include depth data representingthe object, where the depth data may be obtained, for example, fromdepth camera 164 c or from any other camera suitable for capturing depthdata representing the object. Thus, supplemental data may include anycombination of one or more of image data, infrared data, depth data, orany other types of data representing the object.

Based on the supplemental data, engine 170 may determine some objectcharacteristics with higher accuracy that may be determined based solelyon capacitive signatures and capacitance map. For example, engine 170may calibrate the capacitance map to correlate (e.g., spatially) withthe image data, the infrared data, and or the depth data, if those arenot already calibrated. Engine 170 may then combine the information fromthe capacitance map and one or more of image data, infrared data, anddepth data, to generate a combined data, by utilizing the advantages ofeach type of data.

For example, depth data may provide an accurate representation of thecontours of an object because depth data may be unaffected by any light(e.g., visible or infrared) incident or projected upon the object.However, the depth data may not be able to accurately represent objectsor parts thereof that have very small (e.g., unmeasurable) height abovesurface 200.

Infrared data, on the other hand, may accurately represent the objects(e.g., their shapes, temperatures, etc.) irrespective of their heightsand irrespective of any visible light incident upon the objects. In someexamples, in order to increase the contrast between the object andsurface 200 as represented by the infrared data, surface 200 may becovered or coated with material, coating, or paint that increases thesurface's absorption and decreases its reflection of infrared light, atleast in the spectrum of infrared light captured by the infrared camera(e.g., IR camera 164 b). Thus, surface 200 may be designed to reflectless infrared light, on average, than an object disposed on surface 200.

Image data may be affected by visible light incident on the object(e.g., projected by projector bundle 184), but unlike the infrared dataand the depth data it may represent the object's colors and may alsohave a higher resolution than some other types of data. And as discussedabove, the capacitance map and the capacitive signatures may provideaccurate representation of the object's location on surface 200, itsrotation around its central axis, the shape of its bottom surface, andthe like.

Accordingly, in some examples, engine 170 may combine venous types ofsupplemental data (e.g., image data, infrared data, and depth data) witheach other and/or with the capacitance map to generate a combined data,thereby leveraging the advantages and compensating for the deficienciesof each type of data, in such examples, engine 170 may determine theobjects characteristics based on the combined data, where thecharacteristics may include, for example, the objects color(s), shape,dimensions (e.g., height), contours, location on surface 200,orientation, rotation, temperature, material composition, and so forth.

In some examples, engine 170 may use the characteristics derived basedon the supplemental data to supplement the identification data and moreaccurately identify the object. For example, the identification data mayonly identify the object as a rook, without specifying the rook's color.In such a case, the color may be determined as part of the objectcharacteristics obtained based on the combined data. In some examples,the identification data and/or the object characteristics may beprovided to and used by a software application (e.g., the activeapplication that is being executed by computing device 150). Theapplication may use the identification data and/or objectcharacteristics to enhance user experience, for example, by allowing theuser to use physical objects for gaming, presentation, modelling,interaction, and any other suitable purpose.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of another example computing device 150. Inthe example of FIG. 12, computing device 150 is communicativelyconnected to touch-sensitive surface 200>and cameras 164A-164C, asdescribed above. Each of cameras 164A-164C may be disposed above andpointed at surface 200. Computing device 150 may further include aprocessing resource 310 and a machine-readable storage medium 320comprising (e.g., encoded with) instructions 322-324.

In some examples, storage medium 320 may include additionalinstructions, in other examples, instructions 322-324 and any otherinstructions described herein in relation to storage medium 320, may bestored on a machine-readable storage medium remote from but accessibleto computing device 150 and processing resource 310. Processing resource310 may fetch, decode, and execute instructions stored on storage medium320 to implement the functionalities described herein. In otherexamples, the functionalities of any of the instructions of storagemedium 320 may be implemented in the form of electronic circuitry, inthe form of executable instructions encoded on a machine-readablestorage medium, or a combination thereof. Machine-readable storagemedium 320 may be a non transitory machine-readable storage medium.

In some examples, instructions 322 may acquire a capacitance map thatmay include one or more capacitive signatures corresponding to one ormore objects disposed on surface 200, as described above. Instructions322 may acquire the capacitance map from surface 200 or generate thecapacitance map based on signals received from surface 200.

Instructions 323 may, in some examples, acquire from one or more camerasof sensor bundle 164, supplemental data representing the object(s), asdescribed above instructions 324 may then acquire one or morecharacteristics of the object based at least on the acquired capacitivesignature and the supplemental data. That is, while in some examples, asdescribed above, object characteristics may be acquired based onsupplemental data without the use of capacitive signature, in otherexamples, the combination of the capacitive signature and thesupplemental data may be used to acquire one or more characteristics ofthe object, such as the object's orientation, rotation, location,dimensions, and other characteristics, as described above.

As mentioned above, storage medium 320 may also include additionalinstructions, such as instructions to obtain identification data (e.g.,from memory 325 which may or may not a part of storage medium 320),where the identification data may include at least a name or an ID of acategory to which the object belongs, as described above. In someexamples, features and functionalities described herein in relation toFIG. 12 may be provided in combination with features and functionalitiesdescribed herein in relation to any of FIGS. 1-11 and 13.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of an example method 1300 for obtainingidentification data associated with the object. Method 1300 may beperformed, for example by at least one computing system (e.g., computingsystem 100) having at, least one computing device (e.g., computingdevice 150) having at least one processing resource (e.g., processingresource 310), or by any other combination of hardware and/or softwareprocessors, computing devices and/or computing systems.

At block 1305, method 1300 may obtain a capacitive signaturerepresenting an object disposed on a touch-sensitive surface (e.g.,surface 200), as described in detail above. At block 1310, the methodmay determine a fingerprint of the obtained capacitive signature, asalso described above. At block 1315, the method may obtain, at leastbased on the fingerprint, identification data associated with theobject. As described above, the identification data may be obtained, forexample, from a memory such as memory 325. In some examples, the methodmay include additional functionalities (not shown in FIG. 13). Forexample, the method can also obtain supplemental data and obtain objectscharacteristics based on the supplemental data, as described above.

Although the flowchart of FIG. 13 shows a specific order of performanceof certain functionalities, method 1300 is not limited to that order.For example, the functionalities shown in succession in the flowchartmay be performed in a different order, may be executed concurrently orwith partial concurrence, or a combination thereof. In some examples,features and functionalities described herein in relation to FIG. 13 maybe provided in combination with features and functionalities describedherein in relation to any of FIGS. 1-12.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computing system comprising: a processor; a touch-sensitive surface to obtain a capacitive signature representing an object disposed on the touch-sensitive surface; a camera to obtain supplemental data representing the object; and a non-transitory storage medium storing instructions executable on the processor to: obtain, based on the capacitive signature, identification data that identifies a type of the object disposed on the touch-sensitive surface, obtain, based on the supplemental data, a characteristic of the object disposed on the touch-sensitive surface, the characteristic of the object being in addition to the identification data that identifies the type of the object, and identify the object based on the identified type of the object and the obtained characteristic.
 2. The computing system of claim 1, wherein: the camera comprises at least one of: an RGB camera, an infrared camera, or a depth camera; and the supplemental data comprises at least one of: image data representing the object, infrared data representing the object,) or depth data representing the object.
 3. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the characteristic of the object comprises at least one of the object's color, shape, dimension, orientation, or material composition.
 4. The computing system of claim 3, wherein the characteristic is obtained based on the supplemental data and the capacitive signature from the touch-sensitive surface.
 5. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the capacitive signature represents a capacitive pattern coupled to the object.
 6. A method performed by a system comprising a hardware processor, comprising: obtaining a capacitive signature representing an object disposed on a touch-sensitive surface; based on the obtained capacitive signature, obtaining, from stored information in a memory, identification data that identifies a type of object disposed on the touch-sensitive surface, the stored information correlating different representations of capacitive signatures to different types of objects; receiving supplemental data representing the object from a camera; obtaining, based on the supplemental data, a characteristic of the object disposed on the touch-sensitive surface, the characteristic of the object being in addition to the identification data; and identifying the object based on the characteristic of the object and the identified type of the object.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the supplemental data comprises at least one of: image data representing the object, infrared data representing the object, or depth data representing the object.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the characteristic of the object comprises at least one of the object's color, shape, dimension, orientation, or material composition.
 9. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions executable by a processing resource of a computing system comprising a touch-sensitive surface and a camera, the instructions executable to: acquire, from the camera, supplemental data representing an object disposed on the touch-sensitive surface; acquire, from the touch-sensitive surface, a capacitance map comprising a capacitive signature representing the object disposed on the touch-sensitive surface; based on the supplemental data, obtain a characteristic of the object disposed on the touch-sensitive surface; obtain, from stored information correlating different representations of capacitive signatures to different types of objects, identification data that identifies a type of the object disposed on the touch-sensitive surface, the identification data being in addition to the characteristic of the object and identify the object based on the characteristic of the object and the identified type of the object.
 10. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein: the camera comprises at least one of: an RGB camera, an infrared camera, or a depth camera; and the supplemental data comprises at least one of: i) image data representing the object, ii) infrared data representing the object, or depth data representing the object.
 11. The computing system of claim 1, further comprising a memory to store information that correlates stored representations of capacitive signatures to corresponding different identification data that identify respective different types of objects, and the instructions are executable on the processor to obtain the identification data by: comparing a representation of the capacitive signature from the touch-sensitive surface to the stored representations of capacitive signatures, and retrieving an identification data from the stored information, the retrieved identification data correlated to a stored representation of a capacitive signature, from among the stored representations of capacitive signatures, that matches the representation of the capacitive signature from the touch-sensitive surface.
 12. The computing system of claim 11, wherein the representation of the capacitive signature from the touch-sensitive surface is a fingerprint of the capacitive signature from the touch-sensitive surface.
 13. The computing system of claim 11, wherein the representation of the capacitive signature from the touch-sensitive surface is the capacitive signature from the touch-sensitive surface.
 14. The computing system of claim 11 wherein the stored information further correlates the stored representations of capacitive signatures to a program, wherein the instructions are executable on the processor to: identify the program based on the correlating of the representation of the capacitive signature from the touch-sensitive surface to the program by the stored information, and send the obtained identification data and the obtained characteristic to the identified program that performs the identifying of the object based on the identified type of the object and the obtained characteristic.
 15. The method of claim 6, wherein the stored information further correlates a first subset of the different representations of capacitive signatures to a first program, the method further comprising: identifying the first program based on the stored information correlating a representation of the obtained capacitive signature to the first program; and sending the obtained identification data and the obtained characteristic of the object to the identified first program that performs the identifying of the object based on the characteristic of the object and the identified type of the object.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the stored information further correlates a second subset of the different representations of capacitive signatures to a second program different from the first program.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the representation of the obtained capacitive signature is the obtained capacitive signature or a fingerprint of the obtained capacitive signature.
 18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the stored information further correlates a first subset of the different representations of capacitive signatures to a first program, the instructions executable to further: identify the first program based on the stored information correlating a representation of the capacitive signature representing the object to the first program; and send the obtained identification data and the obtained characteristic of the object to the identified first program that performs the identifying of the object based on the characteristic of the object and the identified type of the object.
 19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the stored information further correlates a second subset of the different representations of capacitive signatures to a second program different from the first: program. 